Tell Your Nonprofit Story Through Video

I have worked with nonprofits that do not have marketing budgets or a clue as to how to promote their organizations. These entities have remarkable stories to tell, but frankly, neglect to make promoting their organizational story a priority. I learned a long time ago that video was vital to nonprofit storytelling to educate prospects, donors and other constituencies by showing the community impact a nonprofit makes.

An amazing colleague, John Commorato, president of Commorato Media Communications in Indianapolis, has worked on a variety of videos with me through the years. He has a unique ability to highlight an organization through videos. He knows how to maximize the use of this tool to achieve a variety of purposes. I learned, through him, how videos can immediately make a community aware of a nonprofit by having stakeholders tell their personal stories. 

Nonprofits that are not incorporating video are missing out. Video resonates on an emotional level to help nonprofits bring awareness of their missions to new audiences. More than 90% of our communications are nonverbal. Videos help nonprofits put faces to their work, provide a sense of being inside the nonprofit, establish awareness and evoke a passion that complements the nonprofit’s goals.

Video storytelling promotes marketing by engaging your nonprofit’s audience, holding its attention and embedding the story in viewers’ memories. Nonprofits want and need constituencies to engage, act, remember your brand, be inspired, embrace your mission and visually understand the impact of their organization.

Stories through video relate to supporters, volunteers, donors and beneficiaries. Stories need to be clear, visible and unique. A compelling story must have a call to action that encourages you and others to respond favorably. A well-told story raises awareness, interest and curiosity. Through the lens of a video, you can generate feelings other forms of media cannot evoke.

Video is not going away anytime soon. About 78% of people watch videos online each week. In 2016, a Facebook executive predicted the platform would be all video within five years. A Google study found that 57% of people who watch a video, proceed to making an organizational contribution.

To make effective use of video, you need to let the people you serve tell their own story. Try transforming your annual impact report into a visual story and post it to the best platforms. Make the point of each video clear in the first few seconds and include a strong call to action. 

The popularity of videos is increasing each year. A nonprofit video can help raise funds, awareness and achieve a variety of goals. A well-crafted video can engage your audience, move people to action, increase your outreach and communicate with supporters via a variety of tools. More than three billion videos are watched daily on YouTube.

Upload all your organizational videos on YouTube today. Seek to keep your videos short, which is 60 seconds or less. Google favors video content. Mobile users love video content. Videos will generate higher engagement than any other post. Drive curiosity and utilize live video whenever possible. Develop a strategy for your videos that keeps your audience desiring additional videos over time. 

The post-text future implies that written content is no longer the major form of communication. Thus, videos are in and there are six key types of video marketing, according to Nonprofits Source. Every nonprofit needs these types of videos in their communication programs, but because your organization has a limited video budget, seek ways to create this program inexpensively. 

1. Explainer videos to share the organizational mission
2. Meet the team videos to share your value
3. Behind the scenes videos to let the audience see behind the curtain
4. Testimonial videos to reflect the nonprofit’s impact
5. Interview videos to build trust and authority
6. Personalized video emails to take the time to inspire action

Video marketing is your nonprofit’s new secret weapon. Videos create an emotional connection, increase traffic, improve search engine results, create shareable content and lead to more conversions. Video is trending and is here to stay. Tell your nonprofit story through video beginning today.